Echo
by Kex3
Summary: It was never supposed to happen. The Doctor told her so, but that didn't change the fact that it was going to. Amy is split up from the Doctor and Rory and finds herself stuck with another man called the "Doctor". Amy finds herself faced with a dangerous situation, save this Doctor and be trapped with him forever, or leave him and never meet her Doctor in the first place.
1. The Surge

A/N: **Full Plot Summary**: It was never supposed to happen. The Doctor told her so, but that didn't change the fact that it was going to. Amy is split up from the Doctor and Rory and finds herself stuck with another man called the "Doctor". Amy finds herself faced with a dangerous situation, save this Doctor and be trapped with him forever, or leave him and never meet _her _Doctor again.

**Rated T** for violence, some dark themes, mild language, and an adult situation.

**WARNING:** _Contains Spoilers for "The Impossible Astronaut", "The Wedding of River Song", and possibly "A Town Called Mercy". This story is slightly AU, so if you don't like, don't read. Thank you._

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**Chapter One**

_The Surge_

It was a normal day, as a traditional 'normal' standard would go. My husband and I were at home, sitting on the back porch drinking tea. The sun was warm on my skin, but the slightly chilled wind of fall was the only reminder that fall was coming.

Rory sat beside me, reading a book and muttering the words under his breath. I teased him about it constantly. It was especially annoying at night when I was trying to sleep. At least I didn't keep him up when _I _read books. But he'd always retort with something about reading me to sleep. I never remember ending that conversation. I'm not telling him that, otherwise he might get an idea to keep on at it.

Our good friend, the Doctor, was off who knows where saving the Universe, I was certain. Off in his little box that was bigger on the inside, he'd be off befriending planets you couldn't pronounce, stopping wars, stopping for any little boy or girl who cried. That was just his thing. When you're that old and that alone, you don't stop and watch some little kid cry.

If I remembered right, the last time I asked his age we were sitting on a beach, and he claimed to be 1109 years old. Still getting used to that. One day he was 907, and then he was 1109, and then he was 1200. He's always jumping around like that. Stupid Time Machines, always making things go wibbly, or however he liked to put it.

"It's been six months." I said in frustration, setting my empty tea cup down and stretching my arms. Rory looked up from his book. He wasn't surprised. I was always bringing up the Doctor. He couldn't blame me. I knew he missed the raggedy-space man too.

"He's probably busy, you know that."

"Too busy to visit?" I proclaimed. "Well I'm not having that. I'm going to have a word with that stupid old alien the moment I see him again!" Rory smiled that adorable little half smile when he was amused.

"You're so Scottish," he said endearingly. I smiled. When he said that, he was feeling a bit lovey-dovey, as my Mum would put it when I teased her about Dad's actions.

"I know," I replied, standing up and dusting off my pants.

"I'm bored. We have to go get the groceries, yeah?" I asked. Rory nodded.

"Yeah. You want me to come with you?" He asked.

"What? No, no. You stay here and finish your book or something. I just need to get out and do something, you know?"

"No, not really." Rory replied. "But that's fine. I can stay if you want."

"Great. See you soon," I said, leaning down and kissing the top of his head.

"Love you," He said as I turned to walk away.

"Love you," I echoed back with a smile.

Shopping was just as boring as sitting out back. But, I wouldn't have to go shopping for awhile. I'd have to write down the date so if the Doctor came back, he could return us to a closer date before the milk went bad. Again.

I walked outside and looked for the red car that Rory loved so much when I bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, sorry… my fault there…" The person said, quickly stabilizing me before I could fall over. I gave him a strange look when I saw him looking me over carefully. The man was dressed strangely for a Saturday. Suit, tie. Maybe he was one of those big business people?

"Oi, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I said sharply. I couldn't tell if he was checking me out or if he really was that concerned if I was okay or not.

"Right, of course. Good luck out there," The man said, tipping his hat and quickly walking away. I watched him go. What was that supposed to mean? 'Good luck out there?' I rolled my eyes. One of those weirdo's I supposed.

And that's when I heard it. I was putting the groceries in the car when I heard the whirring engines of the TARDIS. _Someone _left the brakes on. I didn't even bother locking the car. I ran as fast as I could for the sound. Oh, when I saw him I'd have his ear off with my scolding! I was getting pretty good at it now that I was married.

"Doctor!" I called, probably looking strange to everyone else. But I really couldn't care less. I was going to find him. Oh, I'd find him and then some…!

And then suddenly I was standing in some old abandoned construction site. I looked around, wiping some of my long hair behind my ear. I couldn't see anything.

I had no idea how long I investigated that area. But I swear, I searched that place top to bottom and I didn't find the TARDIS.

I returned to the shopping center and climbed into my car, which remarkably, hadn't been broken into in my absence. I drove home with a heavy heart and parked in front of our house. As I climbed out and grabbed the groceries, I glanced around the neighborhood. Everything was exactly the same.

"Rory, I'm home," I called as I fumbled for the house key to open the door. He opened it for me and grabbed the groceries.

"I thought we only needed milk and butter. What's all this?" He asked incredulously as I stepped inside and closed the door.

"Stuff. You never know when you're gonna' need stuff." I replied easily and took off my coat.

I walked into the kitchen with Rory and watched him begin to put things away. He was thinking about something, I could tell. The look on his face said it all.

"What happened while I was gone?" He responded immediately.

"There was this strange man hanging around our street. I only noticed not long after you left. He just stood there and it looked like he was taking pictures." I narrowed my eyes.

"Did you call the police?" I asked. Rory shrugged and closed the fridge.

"No. It's not like he was really disturbing the peace or anything. I just thought it was… strange."

"Strange strange," I said curiously, "Or _strange_, kind of strange." He watched me for a moment, thinking over what that meant.

"I don't know." He replied finally.

"And is he gone now?" I asked, looking out the window. The street was practically empty.

"No. He left sometime before you returned." I felt a shiver run up my spine.

Something didn't feel right today. I couldn't put my finger on it but something just felt _off_.

"It was probably nothing," I said, more to myself than to Rory. "We shouldn't worry about it until something happens otherwise."

"Right." Rory agreed.

The doorbell rang.

"I got it," He said and disappeared down the hallway. I nodded to him and picked up a pear, rolling it around in my hands as I thought about the man Rory saw. I was still debating as to whether or not I should tell Rory about hearing the TARDIS. I didn't want to. Maybe I was just hearing things. I missed the Doctor so much that I thought I was hearing things that just weren't there. How terrible.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. Time was just so _slow_.

"Amy! Amy, where is Amy?!" A voice filled the hallways. Great. Now I was hearing him in the hallways too. I walked into the hall and stopped dead in my tracks. There he was, bow tie and all. He was practically shaking Rory back and forth and was demanding to know where I was.

"AMY!" Rory shouted.

"Doctor! What are you doing?" I yelled in disbelief.

"Amy, there you are! Come with me, _now_!" The Doctor said, grabbing my hand and dragging me outside.

"Oh, Rory, better come too." He cried, also dragging Rory along.

"Doctor, what's wrong? Where are we going?" I demanded, still getting over the fact he had barged into our house and practically assaulted my husband, which the latter is something he never does. Well, at least not usually…

"To the TARDIS," he replied tensely, turning down an alley way where the blue phone box was waiting.

"Something has happened. Something, not quite bad but could go very, very wrong." The Doctor vaguely explained, unlocking the doors and quickly hurrying us inside.

"Doctor, I don't understand." Rory said. "_What _has _happened_?" With the doors closed and locked safely behind him, the Doctor turned around and ran his hands through his lengthy light brown hair.

"I'm not entirely sure yet." He finally replied, taking a deep breath or two. I shifted on my feet.

"So, all of that could have been completely unnecessary?" I asked. He shook his head hard.

"No, that was _completely _necessary. I didn't have a choice really."

"What's that supposed to mean? You didn't have a choice, you _always _have a choice." I said in frustration as the Doctor ran up to the console.

"I didn't have a choice because you _told _me that's what I'd do." The Doctor replied coolly, swinging a lever. The TARDIS shuddered slightly and I rushed up to the console with Rory.

"What? I told you to do no such thing!" I exclaimed.

"Did you?" Rory asked in a hushed whisper. I gaped at him.

"No-NO! Of course not!" I exclaimed.

"DOCTOR. Tell me _right now _what's going on or I swear—"

"No time for swearing Amy. What happened today? Something happened that was different. Tell me what it was." The Doctor said hurriedly. Was he… sweating?

"Um… some guy was poking around our block? Bit weird, but nothing completely out of the ordinary." Rory quickly explained. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, it would be close. Something face to face. Able to have a conversation, shake hands, something like that! I don't know what you domestics do all day!" Domestics. There was a new word.

"I ran into someone today," I suddenly remembered. "Well, actually it was more like he was in a full on run and crashed into me. He said 'good luck' or something weird like that." I said. The Doctor's face paled and I knew I'd done something wrong. At least wrong on his standards.

"So he was able to touch you, to do something _to _you?" He said, starting to look me over.

"Um, sure. But he didn't, I would have noticed." I said reassuringly. But when the Doctor's eyes met mine, I suddenly understood the gravity of the situation. The Doctor was terrified.

"Are you absolutely certain. One _hundred _percent certain?" He asked, shifting on his feet.

"Um… maybe 99% certain…?" I said carefully.

Suddenly a shooting pain erupted in my gut. I cried out and doubled over. Rory was by my side in an instant.

"Amy, what's wrong." He turned his attention to the Doctor.

"What's happening to her? What's all this about? And it had better not be another ganger thing!" Rory exclaimed. The Doctor took a step back.

"No, it's not another ganger thing, Rory. But you may want to step back."

"Wha-Why?" I choked out, panting as I tried to catch my breath. Another wave of pain racked my body and I hit the floor.

"_Doctor_!" Rory shouted.

"Rory get back! She's been touched by a concentrated Time Surge." The Doctor ordered, grabbing Rory and pulling him away. I reached for him, but the Doctor took his place and took my head in his hands.

"Amy, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You're about to be sent back in time."

"Time…?" I gasped out, cringing as another wave hit me. "Wha….what is that supposed….supposed to… mean?!" The Doctor pressed his forehead against mine.

"Not just any time. _My _time. Back into _my past_. And it's changing everything. Everything I remember is changing into something else and it's because you were _there_. I don't know how or why yet, but it's happening, now, and I can't stop it. I'm so sorry, this was never supposed to happen!"

"Doctor…" I said, slowly catching my breath. "Am I going to be okay? Tell me, truthfully. Am I going to be alright?" I whispered. The Doctor sighed.

"You'll be alright," he said, and I knew he was speaking the truth. "But… you'll be stuck until the Surge wears off. You won't be able to return to this time line for a little while. Just a little while, then I can take you back to your normal life, with Rory. With Rory, just like you want." The Doctor petted my hair lovingly and sighed again.

"Amy, I need you to promise me something."

"Promise… what?" I asked, hissing in pain.

"No matter how tempted you are, do _not _press the green button."

"_What_?!" I exclaimed, fisting his jacket in my hands. "What the _hell _are you talking about?" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. Just hold on!"

My vision went white and I felt as though I was falling. It lasted for what seemed like forever. Falling, and seeing nothing but pure white energy that tore at everything I was. I screamed and held on to myself for dear life, focusing only on Rory and the Doctor.

Then, just as I was about to hit the ground, everything went black. I remained motionless, refusing to move. I tried to convince myself I wasn't dead, but I was afraid of what it would mean if I was alive.

"Are you okay? Where'd you come from...? How'd you get here, actually? You haven't been dabbling in huon particles have you?"

I groaned and opened my eyes, suddenly aware of two hands on my face.

"Oh, and look! You're ginger! I love ginger hair, always wanted it but it still evades me. Someday though…"

"OI. Get your hands _off_." I growled.

"Oh, and Scottish too. Brilliant!" He said. I stared as his hands retreated to rest on his knees.

The man was wearing a brown pinstripe suit with a blue tie. He wore a pair of white converse shoes, and his dark brown hair was sticking up like someone got a little too excited with the hair gel. His smile was large enough to swallow a sea, and his dark brown eyes twinkled at me merrily, like you'd expect either a love sick teenager to have, or a really old grandpa. But this man was clearly neither.

"Where am I?" I groaned as I sat up, but then froze. I knew this room. Back when we battled HOUSE, and it had taken over the TARDIS. Idris, or really, the TARDIS in human form, had directed us to this room to be safe. But that room had been dark, empty, cold. This room was bright, filled with energy, and was warm and so, _so _alive. The man offered me a hand and pulled me up.

"Well, the proper question is where you _were_?" He asked with an amused tone. I took a deep breath and gathered myself. His voice was _everywhere_. One second it was low, then it was high like a mouse, then it was somewhere in the middle, then who knows where.

"I was… I was… here…" His eyes suddenly narrowed and his smile faltered ever so slightly.

"Here." He echoed.

"Yeah, but it looked different. The column looks the same, that big… blue thing… But… Well…" I said, slowly turning around and examining it. I spotted the doors and ran to them.

"Wait! I don't think you should—" I swung the doors open and smiled to see galaxies and stars and space in all its beauty.

"So, who are you then?" I asked, turning around to see the man looked very startled.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, you're not the Doctor. So where you some companion or something?" The man's smile completely disappeared.

"You must be from my future." He said calmly, digging his hands in his pockets.

"That's what he said… wait… _you're_ the Doctor…?" I exclaimed, closing the doors and walking back to him. Suddenly his smile was back full force, but this time it didn't reach his eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you early!" He said happily, shaking my hand. My mind raced. How was that possible? This man looked completely different. He _was _completely different. Then I suddenly remembered. The beach. His 'death'. That light. He'd explained it to me.

I was talking to one of his past regenerations.

**~((~^*^~))~**

A/N: Please review, and you get a free cookie of your choice. But only if you review!


	2. An Unexpected Agreement

(A/N): I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I promise I'll start updating more often. I've been finding time where I have nothing to do but write so I've been getting back to some of my fanfiction stories. I hope this chapter makes it up to you!

Also, for my Yu-Gi-Oh! readers, I'm halfway done writing the next installment of 'Deception.' Stay tuned! And I'll be back with more Doctor Who and Yu-Gi-Oh! very soon!

**~((~^*^~))~**

**Chapter Two**

_An Unexpected Agreement_

(Amy's POV)

I stared incredulously as 'the Doctor' bounced back up to the console and started swinging levers and twisting knobs. Already his mouth was running on about some kind of nonsense. Something to do with vortexes or paradoxes, or whatever he thought he was saying.

"Well don't just stand there come on!" He grinned at me cheekily and I had half a mind to slap it off his face. But I cautiously walked up the ramp and looked around at the room. It was so different from my Doctor's. It held the same warmth, that feeling you get after coming home for the first time in a long time. That feeling that everything was going to be alright.

But other than that the colors and pillars were all wrong. The burnt orange and... what was that, coral? I frowned and shook my head. Oh, the things I would be telling my Doctor when I got back...!

The current Doctor spun around the row and smacked a piece of the TARDIS with a rubber mallet. I fought away a small laugh that was building in my throat. Even with the obvious differences between my Doctor and this one, some things clearly hadn't changed.

"Well, you might be the quietest ginger I've ever met! Not sure if that's a good thing...?" The Doctor muttered mostly to himself, but his thick, loud, English accent was easily overheard.

"Excuse me!" I cried defiantly. He flinched but smiled nervously.

"Sorry, that was rude."

"Yes it was, and excuse me if I'm just a tad bit overwhelmed that I'm talking to another regeneration of the Doctor!"

The _look_ reappeared on his face for a moment. The look of darkness, sadness, and something so unreadable it just hurt to see something buried so deep in his eyes. But just like before, it was gone as quickly as it had come and he was grinning ear to ear, the sparkle in his eyes quickly returning with a vengeance.

"Yes, well, I suppose that would do it!" He bounced back to the main lever and raised his eyebrows at me suspiciously. I stared back at him long and hard.

"Now, can I safely assume you want to go back to your Doctor?" His fingers drummed on the lever and I felt a strong pounding in my chest. My Doctor's words came back to me in what felt like slow motion. I couldn't get back. Not for awhile anyway, he said.

"I can't," I replied, trying not to choke on my own words. "He, I mean you, ugh... _My _Doctor said I can't cross my own time line for awhile. I don't know when I can get back."

The Doctor's bushy eyebrows narrowed and my heart hurt even more. He had _eyebrows_. If it had been any other situation I would have laughed hysterically. But it wasn't another situation. I was trapped with a Doctor that was unfamiliar to me in nearly every way. I was locked away from my Doctor and my husband. And that, in itself, hurt more than anything else.

"Well how is that supposed to work?" He asked incredulously, his voice going up a couple of octaves. My eyebrow twitched.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" I growled back. "I'm stuck for who knows how long because _somebody _did something stupid!"

"Wait, you're not saying _I _did..."

"No, Mr. Raggedy man, you didn't-" I stopped short and looked at him. It was the same suit. It was the same suit my Doctor was wearing the night I first met him. Only this suit was neat and clean, not torn and burned... I started to feel sick.

The Doctor stared at me evenly from across the console, waiting patiently for me to finish. But I could see it in his eyes. He was trying to figure out what that nickname meant and how he got it. But I didn't know, and I sure wasn't going to help him figure it out.

"Well, I don't know if you did anything..." I groaned angrily. "It's _complicated_! Can't we just stop talking for _one second _and let me try to get my head around this?" I crossed my arms tight across my chest and sat down on the pilot seat, closing my eyes and trying to remember what was even going on in the first place.

The Doctor took his hand off the lever and he watched me quietly, not making a sound as I tried to figure out what was going on.

The Doctor, my Doctor, had broken into my house and dragged me and Rory into the TARDIS... He said something about a Time Surge... A concentrated Time Surge.

"Do you know anything about a Time Surge?" I asked, looking up at him hopefully. The Doctor stared down at me, his forehead knit together in thought.

"Time Surge? I can't say I've heard of it," He replied casually. "Why?"

"You said, in the future, that I was touched by a concentrated Time Surge. It's what locked me out of my own timeline; it's why I can't go back yet." The Doctor frowned and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Well, that doesn't sound too good." He said and ran a hand through his thick, wild hair. "But I can't say I know anything about it. Maybe the Library could help?" His eyes became distant and sad again before brightening.

"Never mind that though," He cried randomly and scrambled over to me. "Would you stay with me?"

"What?" I jumped back in surprise.

"No, no no no!" He shouted, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Not like that! I mean, stay with me? Travel with me until this Time Surge or whatever it is wears off?"

I stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Oh, please don't look at me like that..." He mumbled, looking ashamed as though he'd asked me to do something horrible.

"No! No, it's alright! I don't mind." I said before I could think. But really, did I even have to think about it? He was the Doctor. A different Doctor, sure. But still the same man. Just a different face. Where else could I go until the Time Surge wore off anyway? I'd be safest and most ready to go back home if I stayed in the TARDIS with this Doctor.

"I'll stay. But just until the Time Surge thing wears off!" I swear his face was going to break if he kept smiling like that.

"Well then," He kept on grinning, "Welcome to the TARDIS... again!"

Besides, how different could the Doctors be anyway?

**~((~^*^~))~**

**Please Review!**


	3. Lost Time

A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews. They were all lovely and you totally brightened up my day. I've received a lot of questions about where the 10th Doctor is on his timeline. On one hand, I just want to say 'Spoilers!' and leave you to your theories, but I'll be kind just this once. As far as events go, this is taking place during a time lapse between "Journey's End" and "The Waters of Mars." Donna has left as his companion, and he's already met River Song in the *ahem* _library_. *wink wink nudge nudge to _superlc529_ who first noticed*.

So, again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews, you're all brilliant! So as promised, here's Chapter 3 of Echo. :) I hope you guys like it.

**~((~^*^~))~**

Chapter 3

Lost Time

(11th Doctor's POV)

I could feel the TARDIS shaking from the effects of Amy's unusual departure. Time Surges apparently didn't work well with a machine that lived from the Time Vortex itself. I was doing everything I could remember, everything that was in my power to try and track down Amy's time and location. I had to save her... I had to save her from myself.

"But where is she, I mean, _when _is she?" Rory was still piecing the puzzle together. I held back an anxious groan.

"She's stuck in my past timeline, with another regeneration of mine."

"What, you mean like... one of your other faces?" He asked, having heard the 'regeneration' speech from Amy long ago.

"Yes, Rory, one of my other _faces_." I rubbed my forehead and tried to ignore how the stress was beginning to affect my hearts speed. Sweat was beginning to bead on the back of my neck and it felt cold against the heated air around us.

"Are you okay? You look ill," Rory said, concern lacing his voice. I tried not to smirk. His wife had just disappeared in a ray of light and he still somehow found time to be worried about me; the last person he should be worrying about.

An image of Amy looking at me through a glass wall burned itself into my memories and I clenched my teeth against it.

"I'm fine," I lied, feeling the burning sensation spread from my hearts and in my arms and legs. _The process is moving faster than usual... _I thought to myself worriedly.

More images raced through my head now and I clenched my eyes shut and my jaw tight. The pain was beginning to set in with a cold, pounding ache that reached deep into my bones.

"You don't look fine, Doctor," Rory said, touching my shoulder gently. He meant it to be kind, but it burned instead. I ripped myself away from him and threw myself back to the controls with reckless abandon.

"I can't stop! We have to save Amy!" I shouted, throwing levers and slamming my fists down on buttons, hitting so hard I wished away the pain inside me with every strike. If anything, the pain grew till it was almost unbearable.

"But isn't she with you? The past you? She should be safe, right?"

"No," I groaned out, "If anything she's in more danger than she's ever been in her life." A strangled cry tried to escape my throat and I doubled over. I caught a look at my hands and my eyes widened. They were glowing. _No, this is too fast; something's gone wrong...!_

"Doctor!" Rory was at my side in a moment, trying to bring me over to the pilot's seat. But instead of welcoming his gentle help, I fought him away, trying with all my might to get back to the console.

"No, Rory! Let me back, I have to keep moving, I have to, I have to-!" I couldn't stop the scream that ripped up from my lungs this time. The pain... It burned. It burned worse than anything I'd ever experienced. It was cold and hot and awful and just _burning, burning, _BURNING. I felt something warm behind my eyes but I shook my head and blinked hard. No, I refused to cry. I couldn't cry from the pain. I had to be strong. I had to save her. I had to save Amy. I had to save her from myself.

I lunged forward and slammed my fist into a glowing yellow button. The TARDIS shook more fiercely and flung itself deeper into the Vortex. It had locked onto a signal coming from the end of the surge. It was chasing after it, following the path the Surge had left behind.

I crashed to the floor and Rory tried to help me up. The glow on my body was growing stronger, but I couldn't fight any longer. It burned so hot I could barely breathe. My head lolled to the side as Rory tried to pick me up and take me to the medical bay, but I knew it could very well be too late.

I was dying. And there was no way I could stop it because the past was changing every single moment in my life from that day Amy appeared to this one.

And the only person in all of time and space who could possibly save me was somewhere deep in the past, buried a thousand feet below ground in a glass box with two choices. Save the Doctor, or the alternative...

I felt something warm slide down my face and the feeling of a thousand bricks slamming into my chest intensified. I couldn't lose Amy. I just couldn't. Not after everything we'd been through. And I'd be damned if I let her do the one thing I knew she was going to do.

As I saw her reach for the button in my memories, all I could think was "_For the love of God, _don't press the green button." And that was all I thought as that first and final tear slid down my face.

**~((~^*^~))~**

(Amy's POV)

The younger Doctor had wandered off to the TARDIS Library to try and look up information on Time Surges. I followed him and sat on one of the many sofas while the Doctor dashed around, pushing ladders back and forth in an effort to find the right reading material.

"No, not Huon particles..." He was mumbling to himself as he put one book back and grabbed another. "Theory and Relativity of the Natural Vortex... Why do I have this?!" He exclaimed and pushed it back in. He then pushed off the shelves to roll the ladder to the side before stopping himself and looking in a new spot.

"So, do I just call you Doctor then?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help myself. Did his different selves call themselves by different names? Or were they all just 'Doctor'. That must be a pain during reunions. I remembered my Doctor's Ganger, and how chaotic and confusing it had been trying to figure out which Doctor was the right one, when they were both simply... identical.

But in this case, these Doctors were completely different. In much more ways than just the physical sense.

"Doctor is fine," The younger Doctor replied vacantly, not seeming to be paying full attention to me. I bit the inside of my cheek and crossed my arms.

"So what, are we just going to look around in this Library until you find something on a Time Surge?"

"Yep!" He replied with a smile, making a small 'pop'ing sound as he said 'yep.'

"Never have I ever heard of something called a Time Surge. I just don't see how it would work. Cluster of energy maybe? But enough energy to latch on to something and transport it through _time_...! Well, that's just not possible. Oh! Look, something impossible. Brilliant!"

I couldn't see what was so funny, but at least he was amused with himself.

"Say, how old are you anyway?" I asked with a small smile. The Doctor looked absently at a new book and didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'm 906."

"Wow, you are young then, aren't you?"

"Oi! You're one to talk! You with your... What, how old are you?"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, my Scottish accent thickening. "You don't ask a _lady _for her age!"

"Oh, I just thought..."

"Thought _what_?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all." He replied quickly as he clumsily dropped two books. He quickly jumped down to pick them up. I heard him quietly mutter, "Just didn't seem very _lady _lady..."

"Ohhh, you're lucky I have half a mind to let you go for that one," I growled menacingly. A cheeky smile crossed his lips and I narrowed my eyes.

"Just half a mind?" He asked.

"Oi!" I shouted and tossed a pillow at him. "You-you cheeky...! You little _DALEK_!" He was laughing at me as he easily dodged the pillows and I crossed my arms across my chest, tucking up my legs as I scowled at him sarcastically from across the room.

The laughter died down soon enough and a comfortable silence fell across the room. I looked at him quizzically and his eyebrows rose.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"Don't you want to know how old you are from my timeline?" I asked. His expression hardened slightly.

"No. It wouldn't be good for me to know too much about my future. It could cause a paradox where I'll try and change my own future, which could set events in order that will hurt others in the process." He made it sound so serious that all the happiness and comfort in the air was zapped cold in a second.

"Oh." Was all I could say. _Bundle of sunshine, this one_, I thought quietly to myself.

I seriously started to question his sanity when his smile popped back a second later and he was bouncing down the aisles again in search of Time Surge reading material.

"_So_," He was muttering to himself loudly, "Impossible, impossible, impossible, _time surge_..." I stood up and walked into one of the aisles and looked up. There were so many books I didn't know where to begin.

It was strange. In all the time I'd spent with my Doctor, he never visited this place much. Ever, actually. I remember Rory mentioning he'd visited this place once. He said it was a bit dark and cold, but as I looked around the air was warm and pulsed with light. I had no idea why Rory would think such a thing about a place as gorgeous as this.

Just like the rest of the TARDIS, the Library was enormous. It stretched on and on forever. The walls were a burnt orange, but in a strange way they glowed with life and seemed to ripple like grass in an unfeeling breeze. Swimming lights seemed to dance above the shelves, shadows of stories and adventures drifting about inside the light particles as they told silent stories to the atmosphere.

I looked closely at one that started to drift toward me and wrapped itself around my shoulders before passing on. I saw images of wrapping tunnels and a glass box. Inside was a control panel with two buttons. Before I could get a better look the light had drifted back up to join the other dancing lights high above the shelves.

"I may have found something!" I heard the Doctor shout. I looked up at where the voice had come from. The Doctor waved at me from the top shelf, his legs swinging as he pointed at three books in his lap.

"These might give us some insight!" He grinned and hopped onto the ladder, swinging down until he landed right in front of me. "Let's have a look shall we?" He asked.

I followed him over to a large study desk that looked more like a dining table made of rubies and marble. The lights seemed to follow us as we sat down, hovering above us as if we were the most interesting story in the room.

"I couldn't find anything specific to a Time Surge, but I found a couple of things that might come close." The Doctor said as he opened up the books and handed me one. "Check the chapter index. Anything look familiar?"

I did as I was told and opened up the book. My forehead scrunched up as I tried to figure out all the technical terms I was seeing. _Think_, I told myself firmly. _What would the Doctor say?_

That's when I saw something that sounded exactly like something my Doctor would have said.

"This one?" I asked, pointing to the third chapter. "Radical Time Displacement of Powers or something." The Doctor beamed at me like I was his star pupil. Which, come to think of it, I sort of was learning from the Doctor all the time. Ever since I was a little girl, when I thought about it.

"Brilliant! Yes, that would be it. Now, read through it and see if anything applies to you. I found another book on Space Tsunami's and 'Dimensions of Time and Their Aspects.' Don't know how much good they'll be, but isn't that just the fun of it!"

"I suppose," I replied as he beamed like Father Christmas before pushing on some glasses and digging his nose into a book.

I stared at him for several long moments before I was able to look away from the fact that he wore _glasses _and looked at my own book.

Most of it was gibberish at first. It was like handing a college level academics book to a five year old and telling them to solve the problem. But the further I got into it, the more it started to sound familiar. Maybe it was from hearing the Doctor use these terms a thousand times, or maybe I remembered it from some documentary. Either way, some of it made sense. Although none of it made perfect sense to my situation.

"_'When a rift in Time and Space shatters, fragments are scattered across the cosmos. In doing so, these fragments release energy from the vortex which allows random passages through time if approached correctly. However in this process a fragment can be caught and preserved for an indefinite amount of time before it burns to ashes from the force of its own power. In those few moments that the fragment burns, its energy can be collected as a power source from the Time Vortex which was released through the explosion. With this power, one can create a surgical power which allows one to time travel. Some time travelers use this technology for creating vortex manipulators...'_" I nearly jumped in my seat. It said 'Surgical power', otherwise known as 'power surge'. With_ time energy_, of all things.

"Doctor," I said, shoving the book at him and circling the area for him to read with my finger. He pushed up his glasses and took a solid look.

"Well, what do you know?" He mumbled, starting to flip through the pages.

"So, basically it's like a broken vortex manipulator?" I asked. The Doctor nodded mutely.

"Something like that, yeah..." He murmured before stopping. "Yes, very much so like that. It's a strong possibility!"

"So what do we do next?" I asked, that old thrill of excitement building up in me again at the thought of travelling with the Doctor. Or in this case, any Doctor.

He took of his glasses and grinned.

"Find out who's selling unstable vortex manipulators! Allons-y!"

**~((~^*^~))~**

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